At least 30 people including women and children who went missing in a shipwreck on Monday in the Mediterranean have likely died. Medical charity MSF, whose crew saved 71 people, called the scene the "worst nightmare coming true."
The crew of the Geo Barents said it has rescued 71 migrants in the Central Mediterranean. At least one person reportedly died and 22 people remain missing. Meanwhile, the Sea-Watch 4 has been given the green light to disembark more than 300 rescued migrants in Italy; and 59 rescued migrants have left the Louise Michel.
The aid organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is calling on western countries to evacuate migrants who are trapped in Libya. MSF has proposed extending legal routes such as humanitarian corridors to bring migrants to safety in Europe.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has strongly criticized the treatment of refugees and migrants in the border region of Niger, Algeria and Libya. With thousands of migrants being forcefully deported to Niger's Sahel region each year, the aid organization blamed the EU for its policy of strengthening border controls in African nations in a bid to keep migrants and refugees away.
Two groups of migrants were rescued from the Central Mediterranean Sea by the Ocean Viking ship on Thursday. Hundreds of others due to disembark from the Geo Barents in Sicily were forced to remain on board without explanation.
Hundreds of migrants on board the Geo Barents rescue ship were still awaiting permission to disembark on Tuesday. The crew says it has made seven requests to the Italian authorities, and some of those on board are seriously ill.
A group of 58 rescued migrants disembarked from the Sea-Eye 4 in Pozzallo, Sicily, on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Geo Barents and Sea-Watch 4 rescue ships – carrying more than 600 migrants together – are still waiting for a port to dock.
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has warned that over 2,500 asylum seekers and migrants are being detained in "inhumane" conditions in Lithuania after they crossed the border from Belarus. The NGO said many are at risk of mental health degradation.
The humanitarian vessels Ocean Viking and Geo Barents both rescued groups of migrants in distress at sea off Libya over the weekend. Meanwhile, hundreds of people were intercepted and returned to Libya.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has launched a program in Italy to provide support to Ukrainians who have fled the conflict. The initiative is already active in Milan, Rome and Trieste and will soon open in Naples.
After spending nine days at sea waiting for a safe harbor, the 111 passengers of the NGO vessel Geo Barents went ashore in Augusta on the Italian island of Sicily. It was the second disembarkation of rescued migrants the port town witnessed in three days.
On the five-year anniversary of a series of accords signed between Libya and the EU, human rights organizations have come out denouncing the agreements. Amnesty International says that over 82,000 migrants have been returned to Libya to "hellish" conditions because of the deals. They call for the EU to rethink its approach.